Mike Maguire, the mayor of Eagan, Minnesota, doesn’t like to see political yard signs this time of year, so he’s suggesting that candidates, in the words of ThisWeek newspapers, “join him in signing a pledge to delay putting up yard signs until closer to the election.”
#Civics Fail
Sorry, mayor, but democracy is indeed cluttered and filled with political noise, as you suggest. Then again, that’s the way it always has been–and should be. Ordinary citizens may not like the signs, and can always voice their opinion now (blog posts, letters to newspapers, etc.) and at the ballot box . But the mayor, by definition, is no ordinary citizen. Instead, he has a special obligation to understand and communicate the values of democratic governance, which include the importance of vigorous campaigning.
Elections have consequences, so there’s no wonder why candidates and interested citizens seek out ways to communicate with voters.
I’ve read at least one commentator suggest that partisan motivations are in place here–the mayor is a Democrat seeking to protect the three DFL members of the state’s legislative delegation. Maybe. Maybe not. Maguire is up for re-election himself, though his opponent, a former Minnesota Vikings player by the name of Joey Browner, has as much chance of winning the mayor’s office as his former team does of winning the next Super Bowl. So I don’t think Maguire has anything to fear, though smart politicians are always attentive to challengers.
Speaking of the plight of challengers, that’s one significant problem with Maguire’s proposal: Limits on campaigning inevitably favor incumbents, regardless of party.
All candidates in Eagan should feel free to disregard his suggestion.